DA leader John Steenhuisen and billionaire Johann Rupert told Trump that Malema and Zuma threaten South Africa’s development.
Terence Corrigan, a project manager at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), says that while the chanting of the “Kill the Boer” song is not illegal in South Africa, it has created a bad impression overseas.
This comes after videos of the EFF leader chanting the controversial song were played during a critical meeting between US President Donald Trump and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Trump expressed concern with the chanting of “kill the boer” and the alleged hate speech being spread by Malema in parliament.
Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday, Corrigan said that while he did not believe that the song should be completely banned, it has created a public relations (PR) problem for South Africa.
“This has been a major image problem for South Africa for nearly 20 years. This chant was started by Peter Mokaba but revived by Julius Malema while he was leading the ANC Youth League.
“There has been much reporting on this, even at the time of the World Cup in 2010,” he said.
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Corrigan told an international audience that visuals of Malema chanting “kill the boer” in a packed stadium are perceived as alarming.
“If I were an American watching that on the evening news, and I had never been to South Africa, I did not know people from South Africa, and I had probably heard about the crime problem, I would think that the country was in deep trouble.
“The use of military regalia by political parties, shooting guns in the air, all of that gives an impression of boiling hatred in a society full of violence. You cannot push the envelope,” he said.
Was Ramaphosa supposed to explain the history of the chant?
Carrigan believes that it was uncomfortable for Ramaphosa to watch Malema chant “Kill the Boer” in a room filled with international reporters and diplomats.
“This is something that has become part of our political culture but developed out of his political party and something he and the ANC have not been willing to condemn,” he said.
In 2022, the Equality Court in South Africa ruled that the Kill the Boer chant does not constitute hate speech and that there is no evidence that it incites violence.
Lobby group AfriForum has also taken the matter to the Constitutional Court, but the apex court ruled that the application had no reasonable prospects of success.
EFF and MK party targeted
Meanwhile, during the tense meeting at the White House different speakers from the South African delegation blamed the EFF and the MK party for attempting to divide the country.
Corrigan believes that Trump could possibly bar Malema and MK party leader Jacob Zuma from visiting the US as punishment.
“America has used targeted sanctions against people who engage in corruption and are on the radar of the American government.
“I would not be surprised if that were to happen to Malema or Zuma.
“I suppose if Trump wants to make a point about South Africa, going after Malema or Zuma could be a way of giving a warning shot without hitting President Ramaphosa or a member of the government,” he said.
US has ‘history of believing its own propaganda’
Meanwhile, Ntsikelelo Breakfast, a political analyst from Nelson Mandela University (NMU), said South Africa has the right to manage its own internal affairs.
“We have a multi-party democracy and, in this multi-party democracy, political parties have a multiplicity of views.
“Have you ever seen a diplomatic meeting where a video was played that was off the mark, and I am impressed with how the president debunked the myth around white genocide,” he said.
Breakfast criticised the US for “framing” its own discourse about what is happening in South Africa.
“They have a history of framing discourses that do not exist and they have a history of believing their own propaganda,” he said.
ALSO READ: ‘There is doubt in Trump’s head about genocide in SA,’ Ramaphosa says [VIDEO]
Breakfast said he does not believe Malema should be punished for chanting the “Kill the Boer” song.
“We cannot arrest people willy-nilly, and Malema has already been held accountable for some of his actions,” he said.
Malema responds to White House criticism
Meanwhile, in a post on X on Wednesday night, Malema said there is no evidence that he is promoting white genocide.
“A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me. No significant amount of intelligence evidence has been produced about white genocide. We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency,” he said.
NOW READ: ‘Older men gossiping about me’: Malema reacts to Ramaphosa-Trump meeting after Kill the Boer videos
